Forensic photo of Takaylah Tribitt (left) helped identify the teen, shown at right
LC Sheriff learns identification of young Jane Doe – murder victim
Contributed By:The 411 News
Martinez expects to release more information later this week
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez announced Sunday that his department has learned the identity of the young girl whose body was found in an alley on Gary’s east side.
"We can confirm that, through the use of DNA technology, we have been able to identify the 14 year-old female victim as Takaylah Tribitt, of Chicago,” Sheriff Martinez said in a statement.
On September 16, NIPSCO crewmen working at 20th and Pennsylvania discovered the body.
The coroner’s office reported the body as a black female, between 14 and 18 years old. The coroner estimated she had died 2 days before from a gunshot wound.
The teen was listed as a Jane Doe by the coroner’s office when the body went unclaimed. Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey released an artist’s facial sketch of the teenage girl in hopes the photo release to the public would help locate the teen’s family.
The facial reconstruction image was created by a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Forensic Artist and depicted what the female may have looked like in life.
According to the NWI Times Tribitt was reported missing by a representative from a Chicago shelter about 2 weeks before her body was found. That story said Tribitt may have had ties to a Gary man.
“We are actively pursuing several leads on both sides of the Illinois / Indiana border in the search for suspects and information in the case,” Sheriff Martinez said. “We expect to be able to release more information later this week.”
Story Posted:12/01/2019
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